"What? You'll wear a black dress at her Mehendi ceremony? Wear a joyful colour"
"How can you wear a blue shirt at the mourning?"
Why does this stereotype of expressing emotion uphold by colour?
Every colour has its significance, or rather say that it is the human being who has labelled symbolic meaning of the colours to the lives. These symbolic colours have defined situations in human lives. But the bitter fact is that these man-made symbols of colours have restricted people to perceive situations beyond the colours. And it is devastating when these colours, on one hand, are given positive significance and on the other hand a negative representation.
Isn't it surprising how the same shade of colour has an opposite hold in the human culture? How radiant white chiffon gown on a Christian bride makes her look beautiful, but the same white colour is worn at the mourning on someone's dismay in India cultures?
Like what if a person does not want to or wish to wear white at the mourning?
There are people who have an 'open' mindset, but there are many people in various places who follow colours religiously. These colours are given significance by the human and then are being judged by the same.How the same red shade of lipstick on a woman's face makes her look pretty and make her feel confident and the same red shade is given a disgraced look when seen on her skirt. Why isn't the same red shade on the skirt, over-looked as an uncontrolled act just like the red stains on the walls and roads of India are?
Why do the colours have hidden symbol in different human culture? Taboos like not wearing black because it is an evil colour, are followed blindly. But who decides all this? And moreover, why are we expected to follow it? Why are brows raised when one chooses to wear black at a joyful event?
The day these colours are given less importance and the day when one is free to embrace themselves in any colour they feel without being concerned about the events and situations will be the day when human emotions will be expressed beyond the colours.
Written by Radhika Shah
Living in the city of dreams to paint words.